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IAC Express 2009 |
| Issue number 790: April 13, 2009 |
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Please click here to subscribe to IAC Express
as well as other FREE IAC periodicals. |
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Contents
of this Issue
Select a title to jump to the article. |
- $300
million in Recovery Act funds to be allocated to CDC's Section 317
immunization program
- Six
confirmed measles cases reported in southwest Pennsylvania; additional
probable cases await confirmation
- AAP and
partners submit amicus brief in defense of statute that protects U.S.
vaccine supply
- IAC's
Video of the Week focuses on shingles disease, treatment, and prevention
- CDC
corrects an answer that appeared in the IAC Express "Ask the Experts"
Extra Edition on April 6
- Influenza
complications have killed 45 U.S. children during the current influenza
season. It is vital to continue vaccinating through the spring months
- NFID
releases its Call to Action on adult vaccination and introduces its new
adult vaccination website
-
California Department of Public Health launches EZ-IZ, a one-stop shop for
immunization training and resources
- Coming
right up: National Infant Immunization Week starts on April 25 and goes
through May 2
- New:
CDC's pocket-size adult and child/teen immunization schedules now
available online
- IAC
corrects its March 30 IAC Express article regarding latex gloves
- WHO
issues position paper on human papillomavirus vaccines
-
Reminder: April 25 is the date for World Meningitis Day
- MMWR
notifies readers about ACIP's standardized vaccine abbreviations
-
Guidelines for preventing and treating opportunistic infections in
HIV-infected adults and adolescents now published in MMWR Recommendations
and Reports
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| Abbreviations |
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AAFP, American Academy of Family Physicians; AAP,
American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices; AMA, American Medical Association; CDC, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization
Action Coalition; MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NCIRD,
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; NIVS, National
Influenza Vaccine Summit; VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; VPD,
vaccine-preventable disease; WHO, World Health Organization. |
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Issue 790: April 13, 2009 |
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1. |
$300 million in Recovery Act funds to be allocated to CDC's Section 317
immunization program
On April 9, the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS)
issued a press release titled "Biden Announces $2.3 Billion in
Recovery Act Funds to Help Care for Children, Prevent Disease:
Child care and vaccination programs to benefit from Recovery
Act." Portions of the press release are reprinted below.
Also on April 9, NCIRD posted a page of related information on
its website; a link to the page is given at the end of this IAC
Express article.
Vice President Joe Biden announced today that the Obama
Administration will make $2.3 billion available for crucial
health and human services programs that help to provide care for
children and prevent disease. States will receive $2 billion in
Recovery Act funding to support child care for working families.
The administration also plans to make $300 million in vaccines
and grants available to ensure more underserved Americans
receive the vaccines they need. . . .
In addition to funding for child care programs, an additional
$300 million in Recovery Act funding and grants will help to
ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they
need. The Vice President's announcement came as Americans mark
National Public Health Week.
Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the
majority of these new resources will be used to purchase
vaccines, which will be distributed through the HHS' Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Section 317 immunization
program to all 50 states, several large cities, and U.S.
territories. Funding will also be used to support national
public information campaigns regarding vaccines and support
grants to states that demonstrate innovative new ways to ensure
more Americans receive the vaccines they need. . . .
To see a list of state by state funding for vaccine programs,
visit
http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/RecoveryGrants/grant.cfm?grant=vaccines . . .
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Immunization Grant Program
The Section 317 program provides funding for immunization
operations and infrastructure necessary to implement a
comprehensive immunization program at the federal, state, and
local levels.
Of the $300 million in Recovery Act funds allocated to the
Section 317 program, $250 million will help existing Section 317
grantees acquire and make recommended vaccines available by
using $200 million of these funds for CDC-purchased vaccines
that will be made available to states and territories. The
remaining $50 million will be used to provide program operation
grants and scientific and technical support to states and
territories to deliver the vaccines and strengthen vaccination
programs. Vaccines and Recovery Act resources will also be made
available to the urban Section 317 programs in Chicago, Houston,
New York City, Philadelphia, and San Antonio.
An additional approximately $18 million in grants will be used
to provide support to Section 317 grantees that demonstrate
innovative approaches to increase the number of Americans who
receive the childhood vaccine series, zoster vaccine, and
influenza vaccine, and for improving reimbursement practices. A
portion of vaccine purchase may be used to support innovative
initiatives for expanding access to vaccines in schools and
communities. Applications to apply for these grants will be made
available on http://www.grants.gov
Nearly $32 million in Recovery Act funds will be used to
increase information, communication, and education and
strengthen the evidence base for immunization. This will include
activities to increase national public awareness and knowledge
about the benefits and risks of vaccines and vaccine-preventable
diseases. Funds will also help provide tools and education for
healthcare providers and to monitor and assess the impact and
safety of licensed vaccines routinely recommended for use in the
United States to ensure that national vaccine policy is
appropriate and effective.
For more information on Section 317 as well as information on
vaccine-preventable diseases, go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines
To access the entire HHS press release, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/04/20090409a.html
To access the NCIRD page titled "Recovery Act Funds for Section
317 Program," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/about/recovery-act-funds.htm
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2. |
Six confirmed measles cases reported in southwest Pennsylvania; additional
probable cases await confirmation
On April 9, the Pennsylvania Department of Health
issued a press
release titled "Health Officials Identify Source of Measles,
Additional Places of Possible Exposure: Efforts to contain
measles outbreak continue." Portions of the press release are
reprinted below.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Allegheny County
Health Department, in coordination with UPMC's [University of
Pennsylvania Medical Center's] Children's Hospital of
Pittsburgh, today reported the source of the recent measles
outbreak was a traveler from India who arrived in the U.S. on
March 7, 2009.
The number of confirmed measles cases in southwestern
Pennsylvania now totals six, with additional probable cases
awaiting confirmation.
State and county investigators and staff from numerous
healthcare facilities have contacted thousands of people who
might have been exposed to measles to assess each person's risk.
While most of those exposed have been found to be immune to the
disease, some non-immune persons have been asked to stay home
until they are cleared of risk.
As previously reported, initial exposures occurred at Children's
Hospital. . . . .
To access the entire press release, go to:
http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?Q=252927&A=190
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3. |
AAP and partners submit amicus brief in defense of statute that protects U.S.
vaccine supply
On April 9, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
issued a
press release titled "American Academy of Pediatrics and Other
Health Organizations Submit Amicus Brief in Response to Georgia
Vaccine Case." The press release is reprinted below in its
entirety.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which represents
60,000 pediatricians, along with several other health
organizations, filed an amici curiae (friends of the court)
brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking that it overturn a
recent decision by the Georgia Supreme Court that would allow
cases alleging injury from childhood vaccines to be decided by
state juries, threatening the no-fault system enacted by
Congress in the mid-1980s.
Congress enacted the National Childhood Vaccine Injury
Compensation Act of 1986 to protect the small number of children
injured by vaccines and to safeguard the nation's vaccine
supply. Leading up to passage of the legislation, vaccine-related lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers had spiked, and
the rising litigation threatened to halt necessary production of
life-saving vaccines. The recent ruling in American Home
Products Corp. v. Ferrari would reverse the intentions set forth
in the Act.
"If this decision is allowed to stand, it could lead to the very
same crisis that Congress sought to prevent in passing the
original legislation. There is a genuine threat to our nation's
public health if manufacturers abandon or consider abandoning
the production of vaccines. This decision would set our country
back decades, and have deadly consequences for our children,"
says Stephan E. Lawton, JD, FAAP, co-author of the amicus brief.
"The public health benefits of childhood vaccines cannot be
overstated. Multiple life-threatening and debilitating
infectious diseases have been eliminated or nearly eliminated
because of vaccines. The enormous benefits of vaccination vastly
outweigh the small risk of injury," says David T. Tayloe, Jr.,
MD, FAAP, AAP president.
In filing the brief, the AAP strongly stands by the current no-fault system, and urges the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the
ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court.
Co-author of the brief was Hogan & Hartson, LLP, a Washington,
DC, law firm. Other organizations that joined the AAP in the
brief include: American Academy of Family Physicians, AAP
Section on Infectious Diseases, American College of Osteopathic
Pediatricians, American Medical Association, American Public
Health Association, Every Child By Two, Immunization Action
Coalition, Infectious Disease Society of America, Pediatric
Infectious Disease Society, and the Vaccine Education Center at
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
To access the press release, go to:
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/apr09amicusbrief.htm
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4. |
IAC's Video of the Week focuses on shingles disease, treatment, and
prevention
IAC encourages IAC Express readers to watch "What
Can Be Done
about Shingles," a three-minute video provided by the National
Institutes of Health. It discusses shingles disease, treatment,
and prevention and features a patient's account of his extremely
painful experience with shingles at age 70. A link to the
transcript is available by clicking a button located under the
video screen. Note: To view the video, you may need to install
Adobe Flash Player.
The video will be available on the home page of IAC's website
through April 19. To access it, go to: http://www.immunize.org
and click on the image under the words Video of the Week, which
you'll find toward the top of the page. It may take a few
moments for the video to begin playing; please be patient!
Remember to bookmark IAC's home page to view a new video every
Monday. While you're at our home page, we encourage you to
browse around--you're sure to find resources and information
that will enhance your practice's immunization delivery.
To view IAC's video collection, go to:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/video
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5. |
CDC corrects an answer that appeared in the IAC Express "Ask the Experts"
Extra Edition on April 6
IAC was informed by careful readers that an
incorrect answer was
given in the IAC Express "Ask the Experts" Extra Edition that
was published on April 6. The question concerned the two
rotavirus vaccines licensed for use in the United States. The
error was in stating that the maximum age for an infant to
receive the first dose of either rotavirus vaccine is 15 weeks 0
days. In fact the maximum age for receiving the first dose of
either vaccine is 14 weeks 6 days. Here is the corrected Q&A:
Q: How do the two rotavirus vaccines differ?
A: The rotavirus vaccination series consists of either two 1-mL
doses of Rotarix (GSK) given at ages 2 and 4 months or three 2-mL doses of RotaTeq (Merck) given at ages 2, 4, and 6 months.
CDC has revised its recommendations to make the schedule less
confusing: the maximum age for the first dose of both vaccines
is 14 weeks 6 days and the series should be completed on or
before the time the infant turns 8 months 0 days. CDC's
recommendations for rotavirus vaccine are available at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5802.pdf
IAC regrets the error the initial Q&A may have caused readers of
the "Ask the Experts" Extra Edition.
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6. |
Influenza complications have killed 45 U.S. children during the current
influenza season. It is vital to continue vaccinating through the spring
months
CDC reports that influenza viruses are still
causing illness in the U.S. In the week of March 29-April 4, CDC received
reports of two more U.S. children killed by complications from influenza; the
total of reported pediatric influenza deaths this influenza season now stands
at 45.
Yearly vaccination is the first and most important step in protecting against
influenza and its complications. It is important to continue vaccinating into
the spring months. The supply of influenza vaccine is robust; if you run out
of vaccine in your work setting, please place another order.
Many resources regarding influenza disease and vaccination are available to
healthcare professionals and the public. Following is a list of some of them.
To access the National Influenza Vaccine Summit website, go to:
http://www.preventinfluenza.org
To access CDC's Seasonal Flu web section, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu
To access IAC's print piece titled "Don't take chances with your family's
health--make sure you all get vaccinated against influenza every year!" go
to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4069.pdf
To access a CDC web page of information for the public titled "Taking Care of
Yourself: What to Do if You Get Sick with Flu," go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/takingcare.htm
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7. |
NFID releases its Call to Action on adult vaccination and introduces its new
adult vaccination website
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)
recently
released a Call to Action titled "Saving Lives: Integrating
Vaccines for Adults into Routine Care." The document presents
data showing that most adults are not vaccinated against
vaccine-preventable diseases, and the consequences are that
50,000 U.S. adults die from VPDs annually, hundreds of thousands
are hospitalized, and millions get sick and miss work.
In addition to publishing the Call to Action, NFID launched a
comprehensive website on the importance of adult vaccination.
Intended to help educate the public, healthcare providers, and
the media, the website includes information on 13 adult diseases
and the vaccines recommended to protect against them, as well as
many useful related resources.
To access the Call to Action, go to:
http://www.adultvaccination.com/doc/Adult_Immunization_Report.pdf
To access the website, go to: http://www.adultvaccination.com
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8. |
California Department of Public Health launches EZ-IZ, a one-stop shop for
immunization training and resources
Recently launched by the California Department of
Public Health,
the EZ-IZ website currently features interactive training on
preparing and administering vaccines. Medical assistants in VFC
provider practices in California are the primary audience for
the EZ-IZ curriculum. However, the site will be useful to anyone
involved in immunization delivery who needs initial training or
a refresher.
More lessons will be developed during the next year to help VFC
providers develop their staffs' immunization skills and
knowledge. Two new lessons, storing vaccines and monitoring
temperatures, are currently in development and are scheduled to
be posted at the end of June.
In addition to the curriculum, the site offers abundant online
resources that can be accessed by any provider, anywhere, at
anytime. Visitors are welcome to view and print the resources as
needed.
You are encouraged to take a few minutes to browse the site and
discover its features. To visit, go to: http://www.eziz.org
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9. |
Coming right up: National Infant Immunization Week starts on April 25 and goes
through May 2
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) will
take place from
April 25-May 2. CDC offers health departments, immunization
coalitions, and community groups a variety of resources
including tools for planning and publicizing events. To find
them, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw
If you have already planned an event, CDC wants to know about it. To add your event to the 2009 Activities and Events page, go
to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2009/activity-form.htm
To find out what others have planned for NIIW 2009, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/2009/09activities.htm
In addition, the Immunization Coalitions Technical Assistance
Network (IZTA) has announced that it can provide FREE technical
assistance to immunization coalitions that need guidance in
planning, implementing, or evaluating their NIIW activities. For
information, contact Melissa Van Orman at mvanorman@aed.org
IZTA is a program of the Center for Health Communication,
Academy for Educational Development.
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10. |
New: CDC's pocket-size adult and child/teen immunization schedules now
available online
On April 6, CDC made several versions of its
pocket-size (6" x
4.5") adult and child/teen immunization schedules available
online. Included are a color version, a black and white version,
a commercial press color version, and a screen-reader version.
To access all versions of the pocket-size adult and child/teen
schedules, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/pocketsize.htm
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11. |
IAC corrects its March 30 IAC Express article regarding latex gloves
The March 30 issue of IAC Express included an
article titled
"Corrections: IAC fixes errors on its two checklists of vaccine
supplies that are essential to have available at immunization
clinics" (http://www.immunize.org/express/issue787.asp#n3).
Unfortunately, this article included a misleading explanation
about the change we made in terminology when we replaced the
term "latex gloves" with "medical gloves."
In the article, we said: "Under the subhead titled Vaccine
Supplies, we referred to 'latex' gloves. Latex gloves are no
longer recommended, and we have changed the term to 'medical'
gloves."
Some readers interpreted this to mean that people who administer
vaccines could no longer use gloves made of latex and had to use
gloves made of another material. This is not the case. We
changed the term from "latex gloves" to "medical gloves" because
some people are allergic to latex, and we didn't want to give
the impression that only latex gloves could be worn when
administering vaccines.
IAC regrets the misleading explanation and the confusion it
caused some IAC Express readers.
Here are links to the corrected checklists:
"Suggested supplies checklist for pediatric and adult
immunization clinic": http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3046.pdf
"Suggested supplies checklist for adult immunization clinic":
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3047.pdf
Please note that according to the General Recommendations on
Immunization (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5515.pdf), gloves
are not required when administering vaccinations, unless the
person administering vaccinations is likely to come into contact
with potentially infectious body fluids or has open lesions on
their hands.
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12. |
WHO issues position paper on human papillomavirus vaccines
The April 10 issue of the WHO periodical "Weekly
Epidemiological
Record" includes a WHO position paper on human papillomavirus
vaccines. To access it in English and French, go to:
http://www.who.int/wer/2009/wer8415.pdf It will shortly be
translated into Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.
To access supporting material, go to:
http://www.who.int/immunization/documents/positionpapers/en/index.html#hpv
A collection of WHO position papers on vaccines is available in
alphabetical order at
http://www.who.int/immunization/documents/positionpapers
They are available in chronological order on the IAC website at
http://www.immunize.org/who
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13. |
Reminder: April 25 is the date for World Meningitis Day
The Confederation of Meningitis Organizations (CoMO)
urges
healthcare professionals, meningitis advocates, and others to
join hands on April 25 to make World Meningitis Day a day of
action to raise awareness about meningitis and septicemia.
To find out more about World Meningitis Day, go to:
http://www.comoonline.org/wmd.html
To join in a virtual community against meningitis, go to:
http://www.comoonline.org/JoiningHands.aspx
Formed in 2004 to bring together meningitis organizations from
across the world, CoMO now has members in 19 countries across
Europe, North and South America, Australia, the Philippines, and
Africa.
To access the CoMO website, go to: http://www.comoonline.org
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14. |
MMWR notifies readers about ACIP's standardized vaccine abbreviations
CDC published "Notice to Readers: Abbreviations
for Vaccines in
Immunization Schedules: Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices" in the April 10 issue of MMWR. The notice is
reprinted below in its entirety, excluding references.
Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) publishes immunization schedules that summarize
recommendations for currently licensed vaccines for children
aged 18 years and younger, and for adults. In February 2009,
ACIP approved a listing of standardized vaccine abbreviations
for use in these immunization schedules.
The table of standardized vaccine abbreviations was developed by
staff members at CDC; ACIP members and workgroups; editors of
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases; and
others. These abbreviations are intended to provide a uniform
approach to vaccine references used in ACIP recommendations. The
standardized vaccine abbreviations are available at
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/vac-abbrev.htm
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5813a4.htm
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5813.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP recommendations), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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15. |
Guidelines for preventing and treating opportunistic infections in HIV-infected
adults and adolescents now published in MMWR Recommendations and Reports
On April 10, MMWR published "Guidelines for
Prevention and
Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and
Adolescents: Recommendations from CDC, the National Institutes
of Health, and the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious
Diseases Society of America" in MMWR Recommendations and
Reports. Previously, the guidelines were available only in
electronic format as an MMWR Early Release (published March 24).
There is no difference in the content of these two documents.
Important note: If you bookmarked these recommendations based on
the URLs given in the MMWR Early Release, please change your
bookmark to reflect the URLs below.
To access a ready-to-print (PDF) version of the recommendations,
which includes the Appendix, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5804.pdf
Note: The PDF version includes a free CDC-sponsored education
activity that can be completed for continuing education credit.
Simply read the recommendations, answer the questions at the
end, and follow instructions for submitting your answers.
If you prefer the HTML version, you must access both links below
to get the full content:
To access a web-text (HTML) version of the body of the document,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5804a1.htm
To access a web-text (HTML) version of Appendix: Recommendations
to Help Patients Avoid Exposure to or Infection from
Opportunistic Pathogens, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5804a2.htm
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